Sash-cord fastener.



J. J. OBRIEN.

SASH com) FAST APPLICATIQN FILED FE 915. Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

JOHN JOSEPH QBRIEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. I

SASH-CORID FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

"Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

' Application filed February 1, 1915. Serial No. 5,473. v

State of Illinois, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Sash-Cord Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for anchoring sash cords for windows and the like.

It has for its principal objects the provision of a fastener by which a sash cord or the likeinay be secured to the sash with out removing the sash from the window frame and whereby the pull of the counterweight will be communicated directly to rigid portions of the sash frame and with out wrenching strains upon the device tending to break it loose or disfigure the face of the sash; also to provide a device by which these advantages may be had in windows already installed as well as in new construction work; also a device which does not require screws or similar holding means for keepingit in its normal position; and to provide a device of the character described which is simple, durable, and convenient in application and use. Other obj ects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this specification, I have illustrated'a preferred embodiment of these improvements.

Figure 1 thereof is a fragmentary side or face view of a corner portion of a window sash and frame having my present improvements thereon; Fig. 2 is a View from the top of Fig. 1 from above the usual sash cord sheave, the sash frame being shown n section; Fig. 3 is a perspective of the fa;- tening device; and Fig. 1 is a vertical section medial of the device of Fig. 3 and 1 showing a preferred manner of securing a chain thereto.

In the use of my improved fastener th present well known construction of sashes and sash frames need not be altered. That is to say, the sash cord 10 is accommodated in a conduit 11, usually a groove cut in the edge portion of the sash 12, passesover the sheave 13 and is secured to a counterweight (not shown) adapted to rise and fall in a pocket therefor in the sash frame, the counterweight pocket having a cover (not shown) easily removable whereby access is had to the counterweight at the bottom of the pocket when it is desired to replace a broken cord with a new one.

My improved fastener comprises the relatively long and narrow tongue-like anchoring element 15, and the plate-like closure 16 substantially at right angles therewith, the element 15 having a hole 17 therein. The fastener complete may be stamped from sheetmetal, as illustrated, or may be a casting, there being preferably a projecting edge or flange as 18 to the closure 16.

In applying the fastener to a window sash a recess, as 19, is made in the face of the sash, spaced from the edges thereof, and suitably in the inner face 12, which is within easy reach of the workman. In ordinary practice this recess may be made by say a three-fourths inch bit, the boring being preferably such that the recess 19 will pass close to the groove or conduit 11, and extending somewhat beyond the same, but preferably not passing entirely through the sash 12. With a small chisel, boring bit, or other suitable tool a communication or passageway is made between the recess 19 and the conduit 11, as at 20, said passageway being inclined toward the face of the sash, whereby a sash cord or the like may be passed down the groove 11 and brought out toward the face of the sash through said inclined passageway and through the recess or opening 19. Or the sash cord may be passed through the hole 17 of the fastener, thence upward through the recess 19, in clined passageway 20 and conduit 11, thence carried over the sheave 13 and down to the counterweight. A knot in the cord prevents its retraction through the hole 17. The anchor 15 is preferably rounded so as to conform to the curvature of the recess 19, and

it will be noted from Fig. 1 that when the snugly against the face of the sash. This closure need be only large enough to cover the recess 19, preferably only the flange or rim portion 18 overlying its face about the recess 19. I prefer to have the opening 17 at a somewhat less distance from the face 12 of the sash than is the cord 10 when in its normal operative position, by which arrangement the pull upon the fastening device keeps the plate or closure 16 tightly against the face 12*.

I have thus provided an exceedingly simple, light and durable device calling for but a small opening in the sash, and having a cover element which is also quite small and unobjectionable from the standpoint of finish. It 'also permits the saving of a very considerable amount of sash cord over the older method of placing the cord knot in a recess in the sash edge, and also saves a vast amount of labor and muchinjury to the sash frame and its finish by avoiding the necessity of removing the sash to apply the cord or chain. For instance, in new con struction work the sashes are almost invariably placed in the frames temporarily, to

close the building, and are later taken out and replaced permanently. With these improvements the removal and replacement may be avoided.

When a chain, as 21, is employed I prefer to connect the same with the element 15 by means of an auxiliary metal anchor having a bent portion 22 passing through the hole 17 and extending legs 23 engaging the underside of the element 15. It frequently happens that such sash chains becometwisted on the sash side of the sheave 13 during the installation, which twisting is objectionable in various respects. With the present improvements a twist in the chain may be readily removed, and, in some modifications of the anchor permitting the same to turn, the twist will automatically come out.

While I have illustrated and described a angles in the face thereof and having a sash cord recess in an edge portion thereof, and having an inclined passageway from said recess to such substantially circular sash opening whereby a sash cord or the like may extend toward the face of the sash from said recess into said sash opening, said fastener comprising a single tongue-like anchoring piece having a curved surface adapted to lie against any portion of the wall of such circular opening extending inward from the face thereof, said anchoring piece having a substantially circular closure rigid therewith and adapted to close such sash opening and lie upon the face of the sash immediately about said opening, said anchoring piece having a hole for a sash cord or the like relatively close to said closure and adapted to register with said inclined passageway whereby when a sash cord or the like is in said hole and secured against retraction therethrough, said closure will be maintained against the face of the sash and close said opening uniformly in all normal relative positions of said anchoring element in said sash o ening.

' J HN JOSEPH OBRIEN. Witnesses: T. D. BUTLER, M. M. KRIESAND. 

